India slams Bangladesh on Hindu leader's killing

India on Saturday condemned the killing of prominent Hindu community leader Bhabesh Chandra Roy in Bangladesh.

“We have noted with distress the abduction and brutal killing of Shri Bhabesh Chandra Roy, a Hindu minority leader in Bangladesh. This killing follows a pattern of systematic persecution of Hindu minorities under the interim government even as the perpetrators of previous such events roam with impunity,” ministry of external affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal wrote on X.

“We condemn this incident and once again remind the interim government to live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities, including Hindus, without inventing excuses or making distinctions,” the MEA spokesperson added.

Bhabesh Chandra Roy, a 58-year-old Hindu community leader was allegedly abducted from his home and beaten to death in Dinajpur district in north Bangladesh, PTI quoted local media reports.

Roy's body was recovered on Thursday night, The Daily Star said quoting police and family members. His wife Shantana said he received a phone call around 4:30 pm and claimed the call was made by the perpetrators to confirm his presence at home.

“Approximately 30 minutes later, four men arrived on two motorcycles and allegedly abducted Bhabesh from the premises,” the report said, adding Roy was taken to Narabari village, where he was brutally assaulted.

Roy was unconscious when he was sent back home and family members rushed him to a hospital in Dinajpur. However, he was declared dead upon arrival.

Roy was the vice-president of the Biral unit of the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and a prominent leader of the Hindu community in the area.

India on Friday rejected remarks by Bangladeshi officials on violence in West Bengal and asked Dhaka to focus on protecting the rights of its minorities instead of indulging in “virtue signalling”.